I Remember You
by xxJulyRainxx
Summary: Modern Fiolee story. Fionna and Marshall Lee must put their detective skills to the test when a missing persons case gets a little too personal. To top it off, all our characters are having strange visions of a life they might have once had. First story! R&R! Rated T for language, probably. Has references to Criminal Minds, but no spoilers! TITLE SUGGESTIONS WELCOME!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - HAI GUYS! This is actually my first fanfic. I kinda found the idea in my Documents, so I decided to continue it after I made a fanfiction account (FINALLY!). **

**I am like obsessed with Fiolee, Adventure Time in general, and crime dramas (And Professor Layton, but that is irrelevant ****_à la moment_****!) And this came together. I thought, "Why the hell not? People might like it, and I'll definitely enjoy writing it." Soo, yeah. :) **

**Let's get on with the story! **

_Riiiiiiing. Riiiiiiiiiiiiing. _

_Hey! This is Fionna! I can't answer the phone right now, so leaving a message would be mathematical!_

_*beep*_

_Fionna! Babycakes? Wake up! I've been up since 6:00a.m to get to the café with MC! So get your lazy butt out of bed before you're late! Bye, honey, see you soon. _

"… Cake. Five more minutes."

"… Cake? Cake?"

Fionna's eyelids fluttered open to the morning light seeping through her blinds. Groaning, she rose from her bed, holding her blanket around her body. She walked over to her bedroom window and pulled back the curtains to raise the blinds. She smiled as a refreshing sense of calm flowed through her when the sunlight kissed her skin.

She looked down onto her desk and smiled at her new keycard. After years of hard work, she had finally been granted the position of Detective. She didn't feel as if she was qualified, but apparently she had a gift for observing and skills that detectives were just _born_ with, according to whoever had suggested her. Yes, Fionna didn't know who it was, but she was sure it was the commissioner, who was an old family friend. And she was grateful.

Fionna started to giggle like a little child. For a 22 year old, she still acted like a child. Not that she would admit it.

She glanced at the clock. 8:26a.m.

And that was when her peaceful morning shattered.

"Oh, _crap_!"

She was due for her first day at the office at 8:30.

Let's just say many people in her complex complained about a crazy blonde girl running out of the building with soaking wet hair and half a toasted bagel stuffed in her mouth.

* * *

Fionna was surprised that she had managed to get a cab this fast and even more surprised that she had pulled a decent outfit together in less than a minute. She wore her usual denim miniskirt and her bright blue and baggy sweater, with simple combat boots and her signature bunny beanie that she had received for her eleventh birthday in her hand. Oh, and her green backpack as well.

Her blonde hair was actually pretty dry by then, so Fionna put the beanie on top of her head and adjusted its floppy ears. She played with the sword pins on her bag as the cab weaved through the early morning traffic of Manhattan.

It was 8:40a.m when she dashed into "The Station", as she called it. Her boots thudded against the polished floor as she rushed to the elevators inside the sleek, reflective building. She knew the coroner would be waiting for her on the top floor of the building, where her new office was going to be. She should've been glad – working with a view of the skyline was something most people would die for.

But Fionna had more important things on her mind at the moment, didn't she?

Like making a good first impression on her bosses on the first day of work.

She pressed the elevator button once, twice, three times. "Come on, come on, come on…!"

_ *Ding* _

"_Finally_!"

Fionna started to go into the elevator, when she bumped into someone. Hard.

"_Ow_!" She yelped.

"Watch where you're going!"

Fionna looked up to see the scowl of a young man. He didn't look much older than her, but was considerably taller. Fionna had never felt so short in her life, which was saying something because she was quite tiny. But the thing that grabbed her attention was his eyes. They were a bright grey-green. They showed intelligence, intensity, and, above all, annoyance.

"Well, I'm sorry, but you should watch where you're going too!" Fionna retorted, her temper getting the better of her.

The two stood there, staring at each other with scowls on their faces, earning a few odd glances from people passing by.

Suddenly, a sly smirk came over the pale young man's face. "Well, little bunny, I suppose you're right. But it's not like I was the one slamming their face into people in the elevator."

"Little – Who are you calling little?! And little _bunny_?!"

"Is that what you really care about? A little nickname?" He smirked again. "And are you really going to stand around here and be late for whatever you're here for?"

Fionna gasped and turned quite red in the face, making the young man smirk even more and walk away.

As Fionna dashed into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor, she cried out, "Now look what you did! It's _your fault I'm even later_!"

The arrogant idiot – ahem, she meant _stranger with the dumb smirk ("He should be glad I'm being so nice.") _just waved a hand as if to wave off her words.

Something bothered her, though.

She found that "arrogant idiot" quite attractive.

Fionna hoped she would never have to encounter him again.

**A/N - SO, first chapter is up. Did I get any policing position term-things wrong? :S Um, feel free to Read and Review, and constructive criticism is always welcome, but if you don't like this story or this pairing or whatever, please don't go ranting about how you didn't like this. Just read something else, OK? Good. :) It's better for everyone that way, no? Oh, and if I have ANY spelling and/or grammar problems, PLEASE TELL ME. I hate it when people get their grammar and spelling all screwed up, but of course I do it too. X3 **

**I am so sorry this is soooo long, so I will go now. Uh, it really depends on when YOU guys want another chapter. So, please REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW so I can tell if people want more or not. :3**

**Bye for now! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - WOOT! Thank you NightshadeRAQ for my very first review, if you're still reading! (And a very encouraging one, at that!) And 20 views? Already? That's more than I could have imagined.**

**This chapter's gonna be a little boring? I just wanted you all to have a detailed mental image of Fionna's new office. Glob, if I could have an office like that...**

**Anyways! If, you're wondered about the title, that will be revealed in two to three chapters. :) And, of course, title suggestions are totally welcome. **

**Disclaimer - (That I forgot to do last chapter!)**

**I don't own Adventure Time or any of the characters from AT. Just this little fanfic. If I ****_did_****, I assure you, there would be a ****_lot _****more Fiolee and Fionna and Cake episodes! **

**Let's go!**

Chapter 2 – Partner

The doors opened to show the commissioner, a balding man with a white beard and hat, and an impatient officer waiting outside of one of the doors. Yes, there were only _two_ doors on the _entire _floor. It seemed the office would be bigger and better than she expected. - after she dealt with these two people blocking the entrance, of course.

"You! Yes, you, the blonde girl! Is there anyone else here other than you and-"

"Officer Whistler, please quiet down. This is our new recruit, and need I remind you that she has a higher position than you?"

The officer had nothing to say to that, but his face turned a bright shade of red. The commissioner continued. "Miss Martin, I believe an explanation is in order?"

Fionna swallowed. "I-I am so sorry, Commissioner North, I really am. It's just that I was…interrupted in the elevators."

"_Quite rudely in fact_," she added under her breath and the two older men raised their eyebrows. Fionna smiled apologetically. "In short, I am very sorry."

"That's alright, if that is all that happened. You are quite forgiven. Now, shall we continue on in your new workspace?"

* * *

The room was amazing. It was rectangular and very large, with floor-to-ceiling length windows on the long wall at the back of the room. The walls were a very pale shade of red, with black and white furniture. There was a large desk near the rightmost wall, and a white couch, black armchair, and a coffee table to the left. There were three steps leading down to the couch, much like Fionna's new studio flat, and the floor was of dark hardwood flooring with a carpet that was a huge circle and deep crimson in colour.

"Very stylish," Fionna remarked. "I wasn't really expecting anything cooler here than the view of the River and the bridge."

The officer stayed silent, but the commissioner smiled. "Yes, your partner actually redecorated this room. Oh, and that reminds me. Your new partner is actually our best and only Detective, other than yourself, and he's very good at his job. I hope you two will get along perfectly, and he will explain things in further detail when he gets back."

Then, the two left, leaving Fionna alone.

She walked over to the windows and looked out. Her backpack was on the couch, so she stretched her arms out in front of her, relaxing a bit. All she could hear was soft music coming from the office across the hallway. Perhaps this was a good thing, it being so quiet here, but Fionna thought she'd prefer it if there were more people on this floor. But then again, she didn't know how many people occupied the other office.

Suddenly, she heard a soft ding from the hallway. The elevator was opening up. She heard soft talking, someone on the phone, probably. She paid no mind and continued to stare at the skyline. Then, she heard the doorknob turn slightly after the sound of a key turning.

_Well, must be my new partner, _Fionna thought as she turned around to say hello as the door swung open.

"Hi! I'm your new partner, my name's-"

She stopped as she actually began to register the face of the figure at the door. Her eager smile faded into a deep scowl, brows furrowed.

"What the _hell_?" She muttered to herself.

The figure was tall, lean, and now had a huge smirk on his face as he pocketed his phone. That  
stupid,_ stupid _smirk.

"Well, well, well. We meet again, eh, little bunny?"

**A/N - There ya go! :3 See you guys in the next chapter!**

**Don't forget to hit that beautiful Review button - it gives free rainbow-sprinkled unicorn cupcakes to hungry puppies and kittens. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - Thank you, EmeraldCupcakes (I love your name! 3) and MnMsRoK for your lovely reviews!**

**There's nothing much to say, at this point, so... Bye! :) **

**Happy reading!**

Chapter 3 - Case

Of all the people in the world, it had to be _him_?!

_Life, you have failed me once again, _Fionna thought as she glared at the tall dude, now sitting at the huge desk.

The guy had messy black hair that was considered long – you know, for a guy. He wore slim charcoal jeans and a red and black plaid flannel shirt that rolled up at the sleeves. He drummed his fingers on the sides of his spinning chair, and tapped his feet, on which he wore simple dark red Converse.

Fionna was sitting on the white couch ("_It's more of a cream colour, actually…_") with her arms crossed and her face dark.

"…I believe we haven't had any sort of formal introduction yet, have we?" He spoke first, breaking the angry silence.

"Mhm."

"Well, then. I'll go first. I'm Marshall Lee Abadeer, I _was_ the only detective at this station," He paused to look at her, slightly amused by her unchanging expression. "But, now you're here."

"Damn right I am,"Fionna snapped. "And I'm stuck with _you_. Of all seven _billion _people on Earth, I am stuck with _you_."

"Language, bunny. Don't want me to file a complaint to  
the commissioner on your first day, do we?"

"I don't care! You are arrogant, rude, and…and…" Fionna threw up her hands. "_Ugh_, I don't even know! All I know is you are the _last _person I want to spend my Station days with!"

"Well then, we can agree the feeling is mutual," Marshall said, rolling his eyes. "Now, can you at _least _tell me your name? You said so yourself – we're stuck with each other. So might as well make do with what we've got."

"Fionna. Fionna Martin," Fionna said, having calmed down a tad bit. "And, yes, the feeling _is _mutual."

The two sat still for a couple of more minutes, before Fionna spoke. "So. I heard you redecorated this room yourself."

Marshall Lee nodded. "I just put a few pieces of furniture together, and repainted this wall," he said, patting the red wall behind him.

More silence.

Again, it was Fionna that cleared her throat and spoke. "…I'm going to go get some coffee."

"There's a little food court area on the first floor with a café."

The blonde girl nodded and slowly got up. She walked over to the door, opened it, and slipped out silently.

When she was gone, Marshall Lee sighed. This was not who he had pictured working with.

How old was she anyway? 18? 20? He didn't know if she was just really, really short or really, really young.

Or was he too tall?

Wait. Why was he thinking about this again?

_No reason at all. I'm just casually judging my new colleague, _he thought. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he waited for Fionna to come back, so that they could discuss some ground rules.

"We may be sharing an office, but I will ultimately be in charge," Marshall recited to himself. "If, at any time during an investigation, you need look at some evidence, you will tell me so that we can look over it together. No viewing evidence without anyone else knowing about it."

That should be about it. Marshall nodded to himself, not noticing the soft knocking coming from the door. The knocking became more forceful and finally started to register into his ears. He jumped up and strode over to the door to open it.

"Commissioner North?" He asked, surprised. The short man nodded and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yes. Come in."

The two men stepped into the office and North closed the door behind him.

"Where's Miss Martin? She needs to be here to hear this."

"Downstairs, getting coffee. Although it's taking her rather long."

"Yes, well. We must wait for her."

"…Alright, but what's this about?"

As North was about to explain, he was interrupted by the door bursting open.

"I am _back_! With macaroons! And burgers!" A caffeinated Fionna said loudly, with a grin plastered on her face.

Marshall rolled his eyes. "Really? Burgers and macaroons? What, you holding a picnic?"

Fionna stuck out her tongue. "They're for our lunch, gumwad."

"Well, I didn't know we were already on the buying each other lunch stage."

"Shut up!"

"…If I may interrupt your charming conversation," North said looking at the two detectives. "We have some important business on our hands."

"What is it?" Fionna asked, setting down her paper bags. North held up a manila folder.

"You have another investigation to make. A missing persons case."

**A/N - Next chapter will be about another character, so bye for now! I'll update ASAP! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - Dammit, why has it taken me so long to write and upload another chapter?! My friends Maggie and Faith read this, and Maggie is ****_pissed._**

**I had no school yesterday, so I hung out with them at Maggie's and played MW2 on her PS3, Professor Layton, fangirled about Clive Dove, etc. It was fun. (We also watched Insidious again and then watched all the cutscenes of Unwound Future. We almost cried out eyes out.)**

**Oh, and guess what? I slept in until 9 today and started to eat breakfast at like 10, and Faith flipping texts me and says we have to email our homework (a fake cover report) like RIGHT THEN. And I was like;**

**ME - "Isn't due by Monday?!"**

**FAITH - "AHAHAHA nope. Today at ****_10._****"**

**ME - "... OH SHIT."**

**So yeah. I rushed through a cover report and I ended up taking WAY too long, and I emailed it at 10:30. It was all rushed and had like no info about me and my qualities and blah blah blah...**

**No one will hire me.**

**So I hope you enjoy this chapter, because it is, by far, the longest one I have ever written and I cried while writing this because I was remembering my morning.**

Chapter 4 – Noise

It wasn't like Bubba Gumball was scared right now, or anything…

Ok, he was terrified.

But you would be, too, if you were almost 100% positive someone was inside your house at 10p.m.

He couldn't help but think about how the day had started out so normally, without anything odd or out of place. In fact, today had been a lovely day for him. And then, he had made the mistake of getting himself tailed all the way_ inside _his home.

Yeah, he was a lumping idiot.

* * *

"Professor Gumball? Yes, I'd like help with our homework?"

"Of course, Miss Price. What is it that you need?"

Explaining hard equations to others came rather naturally to Professor B. Gumball, as well as mathematics and science. This was probably why he chose and got accepted to become the new Advanced Science and Mathematics 3 teacher for New York University at the age of 25.

"…And that should give you the answer quite easily."

"…Uh. Ok. Thank you…?"

If he wasn't mistaken, Miss Price looked rather confused and kept on muttering as she read through the equation over and over again with furrowed eyebrows. He wondered why. It wasn't a particularly difficult question, really – but that was _his _opinion.

His students were working quietly at their tables, no doubt trying very hard to impress him. He was, everyone could agree, the friendliest teacher there, not to mention the youngest and…"coolest", as most students these days said (_"That word is…very informal. Very, very informal, and I'm afraid I'm not quite fond of the term."_).

According to most students, he was rather old-fashioned for their tastes, but – ahem – "_cool_" in that way. He usually wore simple khaki pants, with a dress shirt and shoes, and maybe even a sweater-vest. And a tie. He never forgot a tie. Despite his choice of clothing in his mid-twenties, it suited him very much.

Most students also agreed he was the most unusual of teachers. Especially male teachers, because all his clothes were in shades of pink, with the small exception of some of his pants and his shoes. Light pink dress shirts, magenta ties, and salmon overcoats, you name the shade and he had it somewhere inside his wardrobe. He even sported pale pink on the tips of his coiffed, pale blond hair. Yes, he was very partial to pink.

Gumball drummed his fingers against his desk, checking the clock to see that there were only a few minutes left until class ended. He cleared his throat.

"Seven minutes until class ends. I advise you all to finish up the question you're on and start collecting your things."

He turned his attention back to his laptop screen (surprisingly a metallic gray) and focused his hearing onto the rustling of papers and textbooks being shoved into backpacks, just out of sheer boredom. He loved his job, don't worry, but that day wasn't the kind of day Gumball liked to spend cooped up alone inside a big, empty classroom.

As students filed past his desk after the bell tower outside rang, giving off a melancholy and hollow sound. Well, that was certainly a sad sound to hear on such a nice day.

Gumball picked up his phone and dialed the number to his secretary, Mrs. Pepper Maid. The middle-aged woman was quite fond of Gumball, like a mother to her son, just because Bubba had helped her out occasionally in her times of need. He had agreed to let her be his secretary, as he was frequently forgetful. She also called him "Gumball" instead of his first name because, well, he simply preferred it that way.

"Gumball, dear, you need to pick up your cookies for your next class!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Maid. I'd completely forgotten."

"That's Pepper to you, sonny. And of course you forgot. What would you do without me?"

Gumball laughed and said a quick "See you soon!".

His cookies, baked the day before, needed to be picked up from Mrs. Ma- Pepper's house.

He grabbed his bag and keys and headed out the door.

* * *

The next class started filing into the classroom, and Gumball smiled. His plate of cookies sat on his desk, and looked like there was more than enough for everyone.

"I hope you find my cookies delicious. Help yourselves," he said cheerily.

All the students dashed to the front of the room and each took a cookie, sad they couldn't have any more.

"Mr. Gumball, I never understand; how do you bake such awesome food?" A student cried out from his seat (_"I believe his name is Mr. Andrew Hart."_)

Gumball chuckled. "That's an easy question, Mr. Hart. It is a natural talent. Baking _is _chemistry, after all."

* * *

Thankfully, Gumball didn't teach evening classes, so he had a lot of time on his hands after 3 p.m.

Usually he would go to home to catch up on his reading ("_That's actually what I _always _do..._"), but today he felt he needed some time outside.

After he was ready, he turned off the lights to the classroom and walked towards a nearby park. On the way there, he stopped by a café he frequently liked to visit to get some tea. Gumball wasn't a huge fan of coffee – why abandon perfectly healthy, un-caffeinated, and delicious tea for something that tasted so bitter and kept you up all night if you had one cup too many? He also thought coffee tasted just like orange peels. And he did _not _like orange peels.

Sipping his earl gray slowly, he made his way to a bench under the shade of a tree. He rummaged through his bag to search for his notebook. He had a habit of jotting new ideas for lessons in a small, leather notebook he had found searching through his desk drawers one day. He assumed that he had bought it and had forgotten about it, as it had been unused when he discovered it.

He put his cup down to write down his thoughts onto crisp, clean pages. He kept writing and writing until, finally, he stopped after about fifteen minutes. He looked around the peaceful park to admire the golden leaves that fell from the trees. Gumball had always favoured the spring, but autumn was a close second. He loved the way the sunlight tinged the already orange-and-crimson leaves an even warmer colour. He loved how the weather got cooler, how the wind started to blow without making the outdoors too chilly, and he especially loved the new students who joined his class each fall. It was refreshing to see such young and impressive minds in his classes, although the age gap between the new students and Gumball wasn't very big at all.

He smiled to himself and sipped away at his tea for a few more minutes before his phone began to buzz. It was Mrs. Maid.

"Gumball, dearie, would you be able to give me your recipe for cookies today? I've been meaning to make them as soon as I got your special recipe, but I haven't been able to find the time until today to bake something."

"Of course, Pepper. I'll be on my way now."

He ended the conversation and flipped to a page in his notebook. He snapped a picture of it with his phone and proceeded to rip it out so that he could give it to Mrs. Maid.

It was starting to get dark when he reached Mrs. Maid's home. A small, yellow house with white accents, it was a pleasant sight to look at even in the dim evening light. He stepped up to the door and knocked twice.

He smiled as the familiar little woman opened the door with a smile, and he stepped inside.

Mrs. Maid's kitchen was lit up, and Gumball's shoes clicked on the tiled floor. He sat down at the small, circular kitchen table and handed Mrs. Maid the slip of paper he had been keeping in his coat pocket. Mrs. Maid beamed. "Would you like to stay and try my first attempt at chocolate-chip banana cookies?"

"Certainly."

Gumball watched the older, red-haired woman (who had more white streaks in her hair than the last time Gumball had seen her) measure and mix ingredients, occasionally giving her tips to make the procedure much simpler.

An hour later, the two were sipping their drinks as they waited for the cookies to bake; Mrs. Maid her hot chocolate and Gumball his now-cold tea from earlier that day. They chatted away about baking, the news, and even some things about science.

"You know, Gumball dearie, you have the best manners I have ever seen on _anyone_," Mrs. Maid said, making Gumball laugh. "Sometimes, I think you must be related to _royalty_."

Gumball started to chuckle again, when a sharp pain in his head made him cry out in pain.

"Gumball? Are you alright?" Mrs. Maid's concerned voice was the last thing he heard before the images began to flow through his brain.

* * *

What was this? A memory? It couldn't be… but the man in the middle resembled him. He was pink enough, but was that a _crown _on his head? But who was that next to him, the short figure? The man in pink was the only person who he could see clearly. There was someone floating next to him as well. The short person and his look-alike were talking away and Gumball could see the man smiling. The other, floating…thing was starting to talk now, and the man frowned with annoyance and seemed to mutter something. The figure laughed and started to float around the two other people and Gumball could see he was holding an umbrella. On a sunny day.

_What is this?_

The man resembling Gumball started to talk again, but the image disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

* * *

"Gumball? _Bubba_? Can you hear me? What happened?"

Gumball blinked several times before his eyes focused back onto Mrs. Maid. "I…I don't know," he said, truthfully.

"Maybe you should go home. I'll send the cookies up to the university tomorrow morning, alright? Right now, I think you should go and rest up."

"I'm fine, really."

"No. You are going home right now."

Gumball sighed and smiled apologetically at the concerned woman as he stood up and walked to the door. "I'm very sorry, Pepper, that our lovely evening was cut short."

"Nonsense. You can always come by another time." Mrs. Maid said cheerfully. "Now, like I said, take a shortcut home and rest up."

"Alright."

They said their goodbyes and Gumball was walking back to his home in minutes.

It was considerably darker than when he had arrived at the quaint little home, and the lamps on the streets were all on.

Gumball shivered and pulled up the collar of his shirt. He continued walking the short distance to his studio flat.

"…Hm?"

He swore he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around. No one was there. _It _is _Manhattan. It's probably just another person like me going home as well, _he thought.

A few minutes later, he was getting off an elevator to unlock his front door. He turned the lamp in the living room on and then went into his bedroom to sit at his desk. Although the sky was almost pitch-black outside, it was only 9:30p.m. Gumball decided to catch up on his reading.

Only a few silent minutes had passed when he heard a thump from outside his door. He froze, and listen carefully for any other sounds. Nothing. Still, he had to make sure. He slowly crept to his door and opened it quietly. All he could see was the dim light his lamp was giving the whole living room.

_I'm being paranoid_, Gumball said to himself, frowning. He shrugged and closed the door again.

Another thump was heard outside the door.

_Oh my God._

* * *

And that was how he ended up here, still reading but checking the door every few seconds. If someone was inside his home…

Was it a burglar? The only reason anyone would be inside his home would be to steal from it, right?

Gumball bit the inside of his cheek as his eyes darted nervously onto the page of his book and then to the door. He wasn't even reading anymore, just picking up bits and pieces of words to form incomprehensible sentences.

_I need to call somebody, _he thought. _The police, even a neighbour, for crying out loud! _

_Creak._

"What in the-"

A blunt object connected with his head, and he blacked out.

**A/N - There ya go.**

**I'll try and update consistently now, m'kay?**

**But I don't know yet, I'm gonna have a lot more homework from now on soo...**

**I WILL TRY MAH BEST. X3**

**Now I gotta go watch Cry play some Biochock Infinite (soo... BEAUTIFUL!) before I go to sleep, because I gotta wake up early to go to church choir practice tomorrow. And I am, like, probably the worst singer there. :D The joy.**

**...That cover letter ruined my day.**

**BAAAAAAAAAAI! 3**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N - AAAAAAGHHHHH. It's been almost two weeks since my last chapter! I'm in the middle of pre-writing some more chapter so...wish me luck! (I am so sorry. :3)**

**This is just a little filler, sorry that it's super short. It just gives a tiny piece of background info involving Fionna, Marshall, and Gumball and because of ****the length I'm gonna make a double upload! :) M'kay, I'm done talking.**

Chapter 5 - Info

"Gone 48 hours, didn't take his cellphone. It seems like he just…disappeared."

"And no one reported it sooner?"

"Who knows, maybe it was normal for him to be gone a full day."

"What's the guy's name?"

"Bubba Gumball."

Fionna gasped and heard a sharp intake of breath coming from next to her. It was Marshall and she noticed his eyes were clouded over. His brows were furrowed and his mouth was set in a thin line. When they heard the other's reaction they turned with questioning looks in their eyes.

"What's wrong? You know him?" Marshall asked first.

"He's my neighbour. You?"

"Me?"

"You obviously know Bubba, one way or another."

"…When I was younger, our parents knew each other. We were friends until he moved away."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

No answer came back.

North's expression looked grim. "Any ideas on where to start the investigation?"

"The most obvious thing to do right now is to go interview everyone Gumball may have contacted before he went missing. We should start at the University he worked at." Fionna said and both Marshall and North nodded in approval.

"I'll leave you to it then," North said and left Fionna and Marshall digging for car keys left in the desk.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - DOUBLE UPLOAAAAAD. Oh, and by the way, I lied. I wasn't done talking. I just wanted to say, I am so excited about Criminal Minds and Murdoch Mysteries! Their season premieres were awesome! XD**

**Happy reading!**

Chapter 6 – Interviews

"Then, he gave us his awesome homemade cookies. Mr. Gumball is _the _god of all baked goods."

"Oh, yeah. I've tasted his creampuffs. They're the _king _of creampuffs," Fionna said, being careful not to drool.

"_Yeah! GO TEAM GUMBALL!_"

"…I think we've gone off topic. So, Andrew, was it? That was the last time you saw Gumball?" Marshall asked after rolling his eyes at the two young adults.

"Yeah. It's weird though. Nothing seemed to be bothering him, y'know? He was all normal and chill as always," the boy said, nodding his blue-dyed head as if to confirm his sentence.

"Thanks a lot, Andrew! See ya!" Fionna said cheerily. After the…_eccentric _boy left, she turned to face Marshall. "What was that all about, rolling your eyes at me?"

"Nothing! But, I would appreciate it if you didn't get so easily distracted talking about food."

"What, I'm hungry!" Fionna retorted.

"You got us _burgers _disguised as brunch less than an hour ago!"

"I have a really fast metabolism! Don't judge me!"

"It's already too late for that," Marshall muttered under his breath just loud enough for Fionna to hear. He smirked as her face went pink with anger and frustration.

"…Whatever. Who do we need to ask stupid questions to next?" She mumbled.

"A Mrs. Pepper Maid, aged 58. She lives at 351 Castle Street."

"Hey! That's where Gumball and I live! On Castle Street, I mean. It's that really long one that goes on until that little beach next to the bridge."

"Yeah, I've seen it. I think I live a street down from there."

"What? Wow. Small world, huh?"

"You said it. We both knew Gumball too,"

"It's crazy how we were so close to Gumball but never really knew that _we _existed," Fionna smiled and motioned between them. "Makes you think a little, doesn't it?"

"I guess so. But I haven't actually seen Gumball in ages." Marshall said and fished his car keys out of his pocket. "We should get going to Pepper Maid's house."

"Ok, but I want to drive."

"What?"

"I. Want. To. Drive."

"No! It's my car! And didn't you say on the way here that you have to take a cab or subway to get to the office?"

"Well, yeah, but I drive my sister Cake's car all the time without and problems! And I really like your car!"

"_No!_"

"I am not going to leave this university until you give me your keys and let me drive."

"You are so immature."

"I'm just hyper and youthful. Now are you going to let me drive or not? The clock's ticking."

"…Fine. Take the damned keys. I hope you're happy. If you crash into anything, I'm expecting you to pay for the damage."

Fionna squealed and ran to the direction of the parking lot. She was definitely happy.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, a visibly shaken Marshall Lee and Fionna slowly got out of the car onto the sidewalk. "I thought you said you could drive your sister's car _without any problems?!_" Marshall managed to quietly yell at Fionna.

"I may have exaggerated a little bit… At least I have a license?"

"Not helping."

"I know. Sorry."

She tossed the keys back to Marshall who nimbly pocketed them, making sure Fionna wouldn't be able to slip them out without him noticing. They looked at the house in front of them.

It was a nice but dreadfully old shade of buttercup yellow. The house looked like it had been built quite a while ago, Marshall noted, based on the style of the building. It looked like those old French country homes you could find in quiet, child-friendly neighbourhoods. There weren't much of those on this end of Manhattan.

"Well, here we go!" Fionna said and stepped up to the porch to ring the doorbell. A sad, hollow chime filled the silence. They waited and waited, but nothing happened. A chilly autumn breeze wisped past the two, and Fionna hugged her sweater closer to her body. Even Marshall, who hardly ever got cold, started adjusting his dark brown jacket around his shoulders.

Fionna really wasn't very patient, so she started to knock on the door. Knocking turned to more forceful knocking, which led to full-fledged banging and yelling. "Hello? We just need to ask you a few questions about Mr. Bubba Gumball! Uh… _Open the door, NYPD? Your house is surrounded! Come out with your hands in the air!_"

Marshall had to remind her that no one really liked it when a stranger started to threaten them and try to break down their front door.

"Ok. I give up. Clearly no one's home. Let's try again tomorrow, please?" Fionna said.

"I guess we have no choice." Marshall agreed.

As they both turned around to leave, their heads snapped back to the door towards a small clicking sound. The door opened a crack and a pair of gray eyes looked out. They were puffy and tinged red from tears. "What about Bubba?" a soft but hoarse voice whispered.

"Mrs. Pepper Maid? We just want to ask about the events before Gumball went missing," Marshall explained. "Things like… if he was acting strangely, or if something was bothering him."

"I suppose you can come in. It's starting to get cold outside."

"Thank you," Fionna said with a small smile.

* * *

"We baked cookies using his special recipe. We talked, but we didn't do anything special." Mrs. Maid said, sipping her drink slowly. The three of them were sitting at the round kitchen table, hot mugs of tea in front of them. The two investigators weren't big fans of tea, but Fionna knew she needed to cut down on the coffee. Marshall, on the other hand, didn't drink excess amounts of coffee. He just overloaded on cream and sugar. He didn't like tea because of its…wateriness. He preferred drinks that were much richer and creamier (how coffee could be creamy, no one knew, but judging by the amount of sugar and cream that went into his every cup…)

"So, nothing strange happened? At all?" Fionna queried.

"...Oh, how could I have forgotten? He had the strangest headache. It lasted for about two minutes, I think. I thought maybe it was because he was working too hard at the University, so I sent him home at once to rest up. He brushed it off as a migraine as well."

"That's strange…but will it help find him?" Fionna commented.  
"Anything can be a vital clue. That was very helpful, Mrs. Maid," Marshall said smiling at the older woman.

"Yes, thank you so- " She was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing. She gave a surprised yelp, and blushed as she stood up to take the call. "I'm so sorry. I'll be right back."

When Fionna left the room, Marshall turned back to Mrs. Maid. "So, how well did you know Gumball? You two seem quite close."

"Yes, well, he was…like a son to me. He was always helpful, and we became close friends, despite the age difference," Mrs. Maid said, smiling wistfully. "He was always so polite, too. I used to tease him about being royalty in a modern age."

Marshall had never heard a voice so sad, hollow… empty.

They sat in silence for a while, looking at their now-cold mugs of tea sitting on the tabletop. A few more seconds passed and they heard footsteps coming towards them.

"Sorry about that," Fionna said, laughing a little. "Um, Marshall, something just came up so I have to leave."

"Sure, no problem, I think we were done anyways," He responded. "Mrs. Maid, thank you again for your cooperation."

"Anything for Bubba."

* * *

"Right, so, um, I've already called a cab to pick me up." Fionna said after they had exited the small house.

"Ok, I'll just tell North that something important came up and you had to leave early."

"Yeah, Cake called. She said she needs to see me ASAP. She's probably just being melodramatic, but I can never be too sure."

"Well, then. See you tomorrow? And you better not be late."

"Ha, no promises!"

They said goodbye to each other and Fionna watched Marshall drive away.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - Hello again, my lovelies! Sorry****_ again_**** for the late update. -.-**

**But uh yeah I'm her now. Please don't hate me! 3**

**Special shout out to MnMsRoK, you amazing girl you, for R&Ring all of my chapters without fail! You are lumptastic :3! (Though I don't know if you're older than me or younger or whatever soo... I'm sticking with "guuurl"! **

**Mkay, let's move on!**

Chapter 7 – Bloody

Fionna arrived at her sister's café, The Tree House, just as they were closing up. She waved as she walked up to the closed glass door.

Catherine "Cake" Ryan was a petite young woman with very unique hair. It started off as a rich chestnut brown and gradually faded until it became a tannish-cream colour at the tips, and it was completely natural. Cake had never dyed her hair in her life, if you didn't count that unfortunate year in high school when she had decided that her hair had to be a bright teal colour like her best friend BMO had.

"Babycakes! You're here!"

"Yeah, of course, but you made me leave in the middle of work."

"Whatever, it was an emergency!"

Fionna sighed with a small smile gracing her lips. "Everything is an emergency with you, Cake!"

Cake rolled her eyes at her sister and ushered her inside.

* * *

They sat at one of the window tables, each with a coffee between their hands. They exchanged cheerful banter concerning nothing particularly interesting, until Cake started to bring up something she'd wanted to tell Fionna since the week before.

"Fionna, honey. Guess what?" Cake said and waved her left hand in front of Fionna's face.

"What is it – Oh! Oh my God, Cake!" Fionna started to squeal.

On Cake's finger was a silvery engagement ring embedded with a beautiful, transparent diamond.

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you! When did this happen?"

"Cy asked me last week. To think, the quiet and shy Cyrus Chrome actually proposed to _me_."

"Aw, Cake, you two are perfect for each other! It makes sense that Mochro's most courageous moment was tying the knot with you."

"You know what this means, right?"

"…No? Not really, except for the fact that you're going to ask me to help you to plan the wedding of the century?"

"Yeah, but I was thinking more along the lines of you, my amazing maid of honour, having to buy dresses. With me. Because I have the power to make you look like you jumped out of a fashion magazine."

"No frills, ribbons, and absolutely _no _pink," Fionna reminded her automatically, making Cake laugh.

"Well, I tried. But pink never really was your colour anyway."

The rest if the evening was filled with talk about décor, location, and every little detail concerning the upcoming wedding wasn't overlooked. The two decided to meet back at The Tree House the following week to seriously plan the important event.

"Cake, it's getting really late. I should head back home, if you don't mind," Fionna said, a little apologetically.

"Alright, sugar, I'll drive you home," Cake answered, which earned her a grateful smile.

The drive to Fionna's studio flat was relatively quiet, compared to the noise they made back at the café, but Fionna didn't mind. Of course, talkative Cake _did_, and she set out to make the car ride as uncomfortable for her little sister as possible. She didn't have much of a reason either, thinking, _It's way too quiet in this car._

"So, how long has been since you dated anyone?" Cake asked casually. Fionna rolled her eyes. "Like, forever, because I've never dated anyone seriously."

"How about that guy you used to have a crush on, what was his name..."

"Oh, I am so totally over Bubba Gumball. He's a great _friend_, and I've decided that will never change," Fionna said firmly before turning to the window and falling silent. Even though her gaze was focused on the blurs outside that were once trees, she was still aware of the quick sideways glances she got from Cake as she tried to fully focus on the road.

"Look, Fionna, you know I was just teasing you right? I mean, I think it's great you're one of those girls who actually move on with their lives instead of dating a new guy every two weeks."

"No, it's not that, it's just…" She paused for a bit. "It's just, the new case today. It involves Gumball. He's…missing, and Marshall Lee, the new dude I'm working with, actually let me go home for the night to see you while he's still at the station working with everyone else to find him."

That sort of came out faster than she expected, and she sounded more…desperate than she thought she would sound, if _that _made any sense.

"Oh. I didn't know."

"…I know you didn't."

The rest of the journey had a heavy atmosphere to it, quite the opposite of how it _had_ been a few moments ago.

* * *

"Cake, thank you so much. Love you, I'll see you soon."

Fionna watched as the small, white car drove off, reflecting the orange street lights illuminating the dark.

She got her keycard out, slid it through the little slot next to the glass doors, and walked in. She repeated the process when she got to the elevator and pressed the button allowing it to reach her floor. When the doors opened, she stepped out onto the dark blue carpet of the hallway.

Her head turned towards the end of the hall, as the doorway leading to the emergency staircase softly clicked shut.

"No one uses the stairs anymore," Fionna said out loud and narrowed her eyes. She quickly walked towards the door and looked over the railing to the spiral of stairs leading down. Silence filled the air and Fionna huffed. "If that's not suspicious, I don't know what is. I need to tell the landlady about this."

She headed back to her door and was suddenly overcome with fatigue. She barely changed into better sleepwear before she collapsed onto her bed.

* * *

_She had a…pink sword in her hand? It looked like it was made out of a crystal-like substance, looking like it could crack any minute. She looked down at her clothes to see an outfit similar to the one she had worn that day and noticed that her hair was down, without any bunny ears in sight. _

_"Give my hat back!" She could hear herself yelling, trying to suppress a laugh. She never really could properly do that. _

_She heard someone laughing, and a mass of white waved in front of her face. She could see the hat was held in a pale hand that looked a little gray. That hand was connected to an arm that disappeared halfway under the sleeve of a red plaid shirt she found familiar. Then she saw the face of someone she _knew _that she…well, _knew.

_"Looking for this, bunny?" Marshall Lee said, smirking. It seemed he did that often, even in her dreams. His eyes closed as he laughed again, probably at whatever expression she was making at the moment, and when he opened them again she noticed they were different. _Red_, she thought to herself. _They're red.

_"Yes," Fionna said and snatched the hat back, out of his hand. Marshall smiled and leaned close to her ear, causing Fionna to blush. _I barely know him! Yeah, he's cute and all, but thinking someone's cute is a totally different thing from actually _liking _them!

_"You might want to check Gumball's room again," he breathed. "There's something new there."_

_"What? What's there now?"_

_"There's blood."_

* * *

Fionna bolted upright in her bed, face starting to shine with sweat. _What?_

She leaped out of bed and practically ran to her door, fumbling with the lock with her cellphone in hand. She ignored the cold air hitting her bare arms, and looked straight at the door about three doors down from hers.

The first thing she saw was the streak of red on the white door, and the dark splotches now covering the carpet in front of it.

"That was definitely not there before," she gasped as she searched for the Station's number in her phone. As the she waited for someone to pick up, she ran her hand through her hair.

_"NYPD Station, lower Manhattan, how can we help you?"_

"Uh, can I p-please speak to, um, Inspector Marshall Lee? Please tell him that there is _blood _in front of Bubba Gumball's apartment? It wasn't there about," Fionna checked the time from her cell. "Uh, three and a half hours ago."

_"Please hold."_

"It's an emergency!"

Fionna didn't take her ear off the phone and held it in place as she tried with both hands to push Gumball's door open. She almost tripped on her own two feet when the door gave way after a fourth push.

She wrinkled her nose at a sharp metallic smell that attacked her nose the second she regained her composure. She lifted her head up and her eyes widened as she let out a surprised yelp.

The once immaculate white rug under the leather sofa was forever stained red by an unknown substance Fionna hoped wasn't what she thought it was. A figure was slouched on the sofa, head leaning against the wall behind it.

Gumball's pink hair was flecked – no, streaked -with dirt and blood pouring from an unseen gash somewhere on his head. His clothes weren't any better, and had dust covering them as well. A few large bruises littered his neck and arms where his rolled-up sleeves exposed them. A few cuts and scratches covered his arms as well, but nothing looked half as bad as his head wound. She could she him taking shallow breaths, and let out a relieved sigh as she saw he was still alive.

Fionna wasn't the type of girl to be grossed out by blood or, to be frank, dead bodies, but the sight of her friend like this made her want to vomit and her stomach felt like it would never stop lurching.

Her eyes traveled to the wall where the sofa leaned against, and she felt around for a light switch next to the door. The bright lights flicked on as soon as her fingers flipped the switch and she gasped even louder than before.

On the wall, written in what looked like Gumball's blood, was a special message to whoever found his body. Her cellphone she had kept in her free hand clattered to the floor.

_"Only the Beginning."_

**A/N - Sorry, so much ANs, such short chapters! **

**I really wanted a wedding in this fic (I woke up one day and thought, "OMG! TOTALLY!") and yeah! **

**I was wondering two things. **

**One, should I make a trilogy thing with this being the first of the three fanfics? (Or at least a prequel?) Because I wanna focus on a ML x F ship, but I don't want them to like get together too fast during the events of one story. **

**And Second, do any of you want your...OCs in this? I've seen a lot of authors do this, so I thought why not? It sounds really fun to do! **

**So, please REVIEW and also PM me/leave a message in your review about the two things above...^^**

**And...yeah! Love you guys, till next time! **

**-xxJRxx **


	8. Quick Announcement

**Hey, guys.**

**Sorry, this isn't a chapter, it's just an announcement!**

**I've gotten some feedback from some friends about the trilogy idea, and I've decided to go with it. I think it will help me sort of plan out Fionna and Marshall's romance-relationship thing step by step, so that it doesn't seem like the development is moving too fast. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to get the same characters involved in another mystery, hopefully WAY more original than I Remember You. (If you have no idea what sort of plot I'm talking about, no worries. I have plans for this story! :3)**

**Of course, that doesn't mean I don't want to hear from you guys anymore. Please feel free to address this in a review or PM me about your thoughts on this situation, and I'll definitely reply back with a PM of my own.**

**Ok, until next time, keep reviewing and keep following this story! **

**-xxJRxx-**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N - Yes. I am not dead, but extremely ashamed and disgraceful for updating after almost three weeks (?). Sigh. I blame schoolwork, but also a sudden lack of creativity in the last week! D: What's happening? (But I am definitely continuing this and not losing interest.) **

Chapter 8

_Hospitals are way too clean, _Marshall Lee thought as he walked down sterile white halls at 4 in the morning.

He saw Fionna sitting in a chair outside one of the rooms, clutching a leather jacket around her shoulders. She looked like she had just gotten out of bed, and, although she had changed into warmer sweat-pants, her hair was tangled and loose without its white hat. She rubbed her eyes, looked up at him and smiled nervously.

"Bubba's in there," she said and pointed to the door right next to her. Marshall only nodded, and sat in the remaining seat next to her. No one said anything for a long time.

"He was barely alive when I found him, you know. The paramedics told me so."

"…Well, he's lucky then that you did."  
"…Yeah. Just... why did it have to be him, of all people, to be targeted?"

"I don't know."

The doctor's hadn't sugar-coated anything about Gumball's situation and injuries. From what he had heard, Gumball _was_ extremely lucky Fionna had decided to look inside his room. And, from what he had seen himself, he wasn't going to argue. Gumball really was lucky to be alive.

* * *

How long had it been? Marshall checked the clock on the wall across the hall. It had only been twenty minutes. Fionna was starting to fall asleep again in her chair and Marshall smiled to himself as he watched her struggle to keep her eyelids from closing.

Those very eyelids opened wide as the two young adults heard footsteps scurry towards them on shiny floors. They saw North, looking a bit disheveled, walk quickly in their direction.

"I'm sorry I can't give any greetings right now. Marshall Lee, call Marceline and her team right now."

"Why do you need Marcy?" Marshall asked as he immediately obeyed the order. He dialed her number into his phone. A few rings later, he heard a sleepy voice groan into the phone.

"Speak," the voice growled, clearly annoyed at whoever had woken her up. Marshall had to suppress a laugh. "Rise and shine, Marcy. We need you here."

"What? Why? It's… almost 5a.m. Look, I know you miss your dear older sister, Marshall, but I seriously need sleep."

"Yeah, I'll let you know when _that's _the reason for me to call you," He responded with a laugh. He put her on speaker. "North's here, he'll tell you what's up."

"Marceline! Hello! I would love to have a cheerful conversation with you, my lovely young lady, but we need you here ASAP with your team," North said. "Three bodies have been found in their work environments, and they all have the same MO. We're sending you our files as we speak."

"…Calling in for a debriefing now, I'll see you all in a couple of hours."

When the phone call ended, North turned around to see two shocked faces.

"…Three bodies? You found three people that were_ murdered_?" Fionna finally managed to say when her partner chose to stay silent. North nodded gravely.

"I urge you two to go get at least _some_ rest before the FBI gets here."

"…FBI – wait, so that means -" Fionna started to say, but North nodded and cut her off.

"Yes. We believe we have a serial killer here in New York."

* * *

Marceline was never a morning person. She usually slept in on non-work days, with her blinds shut tight so sunlight wouldn't filter into her bedroom, and always had to get a sufficient amount of caffeine in her system to start moving. But when there _was _work to be done, she was the first one to call in a debriefing, and the one to set up all the case files for her team.

So, about an hour after the phone call from New York, Marceline was already in the office as her team members filed in. "Marceline, what is this about?" The first girl to walk in asked, yawning. She sat down at the table and began to play with her strawberry blonde hair.

"Yeah, dude. It's, like, really early." A blond boy said as he walked in moments later with his brown-haired brother.

"No complaining, guys. It's a _really _important case," Marceline responded with pursed lips. "Wait, where's Serafina?"

Everyone shrugged. Suddenly, the door burst open to reveal a short figure with dark copper hair, muttering apologies and tucking her hair behind her ears.

"I am so sorry, guys, but," the girl gasped out. "I brought scented candles to keep me calm for the rest of the day. Want some?"

Everyone else stared blankly at her and slowly shook their heads, earning a disappointed look from Serafina.

"…Ok, now that that's done," Marceline continued slowly. "Three victims were found in the lower Manhattan area, one this morning and two last week, all in front of their workplaces."

Everyone examined the pictures shown on their tablets as Marceline moved on.

"They had all been kept in the unidentified location for quite a while, most likely tortured, and all of them had bruises, cuts, scratches, and a unique mark on their bodies."

The close-up pictures of the victims showed a strange symbol and words cut into their skin. They weren't very deep, but weren't shallow enough to be considered mere grazes. The words carved into flesh said, _CURE AND CAUSE. _

"Even after years on the team, these kinds of messages still confuse me," Serafina said shaking her head a bit.

"Yeah, I lumping _know_," a voice said and everyone turned their heads towards the phone on the table in surprise. A few of the members rolled their eyes and a few sighed in relief at the familiar voice. At least it wasn't a stranger, right?

"LSP, how long have you been on speaker? Or on the phone, for that matter?" Bonnibel asked in a voice loud enough to carry to the phone.

"I've been here since, like, _ten minutes ago_ when, like, Marceline stopped talking to me." The voice on the other end replied grumpily and everyone could tell LSP was probably crossing her arms right about now. Marceline was about to reply before she was interrupted by a curious Finn. "I think that message is for us, like to tell us something, y'know? And, hey, is that supposed to be a…crown?"

"Yeah, I think it is," Serafina responded, cocking her had to the side and zooming in closer to the picture.

"But I thought I already said it was a crown, you _guys_!" LSP said, _still_ on speaker, to which no one responded.

"One more thing, the first victim's injuries weren't…clean, I guess. Like they were hesitating before doing whatever they were doing to the victims. Almost like they were…" Marceline searched for the word. "…Practicing. For the next victims. Their injuries were similar, but definitely less hesitant."

"Well, to me they all look like practice victims, like they were similar to the actual target but not the victim they were looking for," Jake commented while turning off his tablet. "I think we should discuss more of this on the plane there."

Everyone nodded, LSP being the exception and confirming her answer, and started to leave to pack for the journey, agreeing to meet again in an hour.

They really had no idea how this case would play out; so different, yet so _familiar…_

**A/N - Yes, I know. ****_This _****horrible, non-original idea-filled, short chapter is what I got after three weeks? I'm a loser. X3 **

**But, I am excited to get some new characters into the story (although it is very much based on Criminal Minds...3 that show really)!**

**OH! And who can tell me why I named Mochro Cyrus and FP Serafina ("Fina")? This is one of those moments in life where an online Baby Name Definition book-thing will come in handy... ;) **

**PLEASE REVIEW 3 That's what really keeps me going, and I've been seeing a serious lack of reviews...which could only mean people are losing interest? Follows and Favourites are great, really, but reviews/critiques would let me know how I can improve and what you guys do/don't like. **

**So. REVIEW PLEASE! :D**


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